NIBBLES
Restaurants give simple fare an added flair

While we're interviewing candidates for restaurant critic, we'll share excerpts from recent reviews by outgoing critic Matthew Gray.

Diners linger over lunch at Chez Sovan Express in Restaurant Row. The menu is Southeast Asian with an emphasis on Cambodian flavors. Amok — fish steamed in banana leaf — is its signature dish. Advertiser library photos

• Matthew Gray said: "Deliciously unusual. Certainly worth a visit."
• Recommended: Sach ang ($1.99), meat sticks similar to satay. Signature dish amok ($5.99), a rich, flavorful dish of aromatic fish steamed in a banana leaf.
• FYI: 10:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays; Restaurant Row, 500 Ala Moana; 599-8812.

Ray's Cafe*
Local-style diner fare, far from fancy

• Matthew Gray said: "A busy, buzzy kind of place. A quite enjoyable spread."
• Recommended: Big, juicy grilled pork chops ($6); combo plate of mahi, shrimp, teri beef ($5) a great deal.
• FYI: 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays, until 3 p.m. Sundays; 2033 N. King St.; 841-2771.

Tommy Chiles, sauté cook at Jackie's Kitchen, prepares one of the restaurant's dishes. The menu is East-West with Chinese influences.

• Matthew Gray said: "If you're a fan of Jackie Chan, you'll get quite a lot of him. ... A worthwhile eatery."
• Recommended: Coconut shrimp ($8.95); roast chicken ($14.95) spiced with lemongrass, ginger, garlic.
• Rating: Three forks
• FYI: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sundays-Thursdays; until 11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; Ala Moana Center, third level, diamondhead end; 943-2426.

Karen's Kitchen*
Longtime local-style dine-in or take -out, also catering

• Matthew Gray said: "Karen Yamaoka is the woman whose namesake restaurant has fed more than a million customers the past 12 years. ... Karen's stuffed chicken ($6.95), a comfort-food lover's favorite, feels like Thanksgiving when you cut into it, filled with moist bread stuffing and topped with lip-smacking brown gravy."
• Recommended: Filling $2.95 breakfasts; mushroom meatballs ($5.95) in creamy mushroom sauce; stuffed avocado ($7.95) made with local avocados, stuffed with crab, shrimp, scallops (occasional special when butter avocados are available). Note that menu changes daily.
• FYI: 5:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. weekdays, 5:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Saturdays; 614 Cooke St.; 597-8195.

Mely's Kitchen*
Filipino, Chinese and local specialties

• Matthew Gray said: "Kissed with a Filipino flavor. ... Be prepared for karaoke kookiness, because at any moment, people can and do break into song."
• Recommended: Chicken adobo ($6.75), tender and subtly flavored; chicken with black-bean sauce ($7.75), dark thick sauce complemented by crisp-tender onion wedges; miso salmon ($7.99), sweet and moist.
• FYI: 8:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily; 1314 N. King St.; 841-3839.

* Restaurants without a fork rating originally were written about as Cuisine on a Shoestring mini reviews, which have a no-ratings format.